Death is Not a Name
by BlackFingerlessGloves
Summary: Noah smiled, and had the impression that either he was starting to rub off on the Goth, or that she had always been this whimsical but he had never noticed...


**Good Day:)**

**Here's a Gwoah one shot I came up with.  
>I recently got into reading Gwoah out of curiosity, and now guess what? I am a shipper :) Yay!<br>So, I was trying to sleep one day, and then I started thinking of possible Gwoah one shot plots, and this one came along!  
>Then, after a few days of writing, correcting and expanding, I present you my first attempt at a Gwoah one shot!<strong>

**This couple is very interesting, and was rather abstract to write, so please tell me how I did- I love these guys :)**

**Read, Review and Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>The dodge ball game was in full swing. Duncan was trying to catch as much sleep possible when resting upon a terribly uncomfortable wooden bench, Noah was immersing himself in yet another hard covered book with an expressionless face, and the rest of the competitors were attempting to hit each other with red balls to earn a one way ticket into next week. Oh the joys of reality television.<p>

However Noah and Duncan weren't the only people unenthusiastic about the challenge. Gwen had just endured a brutal four day lack of sleep, and keeping her eyes open, let alone playing dodge ball was the last thing on her to-do-list. She sat down next to Noah, her back severely slumped and her eyes heavily lidded.

After coming to the conclusion that staring at a whole bunch of teenagers throwing balls at each other was not very engrossing, she turned her head in the direction of the bookworm. He still retained his position. It was incredible. If she didn't know better she would think that he'd stopped breathing.

Noah had always managed to intrigue Gwen since their first day on the island. She found it exceptionally interesting that a boy of such wit and intellect had managed to isolate himself from the living world with nothing but dozens of books to occupy him. Sure, she loved a good read, but not five in a row without a toilet break. It also amazed her that he always seemed to have the quick sarcastic comebacks of a comedian tucked right under his sleeve.

"Hey," she started awkwardly. It was then that she realised that she hadn't actually talked to Noah at all until now. It made her feel oddly rude and inconsiderate. Noah did nothing close to a reply. He simply shifted position ever so slightly before resuming his statuesque appearance. Gwen decided to push it further.

"What are you reading?" she asked, gesturing towards the brown book that was held between his small hands. It didn't look too flashy. Its covers were nothing but a murky shade of brown with a light chestnut bar running across the middle. Noah's hand covered the title, which Gwen was itching to know. Noah grunted in amusement at Gwen question.

"I don't see how that's relevant." He replied. His voice was monotonous and unwavering. "Don't you have a dodge ball game to play?" There was an air of patronize in his question that made Gwen's witty comeback department flare into action.

"Don't you have a team to support?" her voice was dripping with mock venom. Noah chuckled slightly, his eyes never moving from his book. He lifted one hand from the left page, and formed a small fist whilst still supporting his reading material precariously in the other hand.

"Woo hoo, go team." He said unenthusiastically, raising his fist about two centimetres higher. His sarcastic support earned him dark glares from every team member in hearing distance. Gwen however narrowed her eyes, a small smirk playing with her teal lips.

"Would it kill you to drop the sarcasm?" she asked rudely, not bothering with manners now that he had proved completely hostile. Noah resumed his previous position, holding his book with both hands before answering her question.

"I don't know." He replied, his eyes never moving from the text before him. "But let's not take any chances." Gwen was just about to reply, when she saw Owen catch a ball out of the corner of her eye. She groaned tiredly before heaving herself off the bench grudgingly. Just as she was about to walk over onto the court, she heard Noah chuckle to himself.

"Go get 'em," he muttered, the same dreary tone plaguing his voice. Gwen replied with a sour stare.

* * *

><p>It seemed her dodge ball life was short lived, much to Gwen's relief. Mere seconds after she set foot onto the court, a well aimed ball flung from DJ's gentle arm hit Gwen squarely in her hips, and sent her shooting straight to the ground with a thud. DJ winced, his hands darting to his mouth.<p>

"Sorry, Gwen." He said hastily, guilt already showing upon his face. Gwen smiled at him, which saw the gentle giant's expression soften in relief. She picked herself up and dusted herself off.

"It's cool, really." She replied. She tried carefully to control the amount of delight that showed upon her face to avoid any team conflict; Noah made the mistake of making his disdain apparent, which has resulted in a target rapidly growing on his back.

She trudged back to her spot next to Noah and plopped herself down as if carrying her own weight was all the exertion her weak body could handle. Noah made no work to acknowledge her return, and Gwen felt strangely ignored; a feeling which she normally relished back home.

"Do you plan on supporting the team at all today?" she questioned, boring her onyx eyes into his side. Noah grunted emotionlessly.

"That depends," he started, turning a page lightly as if it would rip with the slightest increase in force, "Does the team's performance depend on whether I fling my arms into the air and cry out "Screaming Gophers" like a child?"

"No," Gwen replied; she paused to give Noah the impression that she was at a loss then quickly added:"just your place in the game." She smiled slightly at her comeback, to which she saw no possible rebuttal. It seemed that Noah was thinking the same. He sighed softly.

"Touché…" he murmured.

"Exactly," Gwen said smugly," so now you have to give me your book." Noah snorted.

"I don't see how you winning a verbal argument against me can entitle you to the right to see my book." He retorted, however Gwen couldn't help but notice his grip around the cover tightened at the possibility of sharing it with her. Gwen smiled deviously.

"Come on," she said earnestly, "either give it to me, or you are going to feel a lot of pain," she threatened, her energy suddenly returning at the idea of torturing Noah. The bookworm noted the seriousness of her voice and turned to face her, his expression fearful. She laughed slightly.

"He moves!" she mused softly, mock surprise cutting through Noah like an insanely unintelligent person, take Lindsay for example. Noah rolled his eyes at her statement.

"Well, sadly, that falls under the category of assault," he said in mock disappointment, his hands clamping around his now closed book. Gwen leaned closer.

"Noah," she started, her lips twisting into a grin, "don't make me hurt you…" she reached out and grabbed for the book, and ignited a fierce verbal battle between owner and potential thief.

"What do you want with my book anyway-"Noah started, his hands wrapped firmly behind his back. Gwen reached around his skinny torso, causing the bookworm to twist awkwardly to avoid her alabaster hands.

"The game's boring-"she started, but Noah's sharp sarcasm was right on the money.

"And you say _I'm _unsupportive-"he replied, now resorting to extending his right hand behind him to keep Gwen from grabbing it.

"Just… give me the book-"she said resignedly, also reaching up to take another strike at it. Noah let out a small sound stuck somewhere between a light laugh and a gasp.

"Give me one good reason-"

Before he could finish his sentence, a terribly aimed crimson ball flew straight at Noah's unfortunate head with a smack. The force of the collision sent the ball hurtling back to the court, and Noah toppling over the back of the bench, his legs hanging off the edge tediously.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, on the other side of the court, Tyler's eyes widened at the large distance which his ball strayed from his target. He groaned.<p>

Noah grunted in pain. His head was throbbing repeatedly and there was a very uncomfortable crick in his back from being pushed backwards by such a force. He lifted himself up off the stand into a sitting position and rubbed the back of his head carefully. It took him a few minutes for him to turn his head in Gwen's direction and see her reading his book, the degree of her attention rivalling that of his own.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, realisation finally coming to him. "What do you think you're-"

"You like Avira Flores?" she asked interestingly. She closed the book and placed it on her lap while stroking the title which read: _Written Dance- a Series of Poems by Avira Flores_. Noah turned a soft shade of scarlet and nodded.

"Yes. I enjoy reading poetry in my leisure time. Cue wedgies and verbal abuse." He replied, his eyes never leaving his lap. Gwen smiled and felt the most dominant feeling of pity for the bookworm.

"Avira Flores is my favourite poet." She said soothingly. Noah's eyes rose from his lap and met Gwen's. It was first time he had done so. Not like a quick glance from across the mess hall, but _really_ meeting her soft onyx eyes. He saw so much more in her that was never there before she said that she enjoyed reading from his favourite poet. He smiled.

"Wow," he commented cynically," I think I can safely say that the concept of the Goth and the Bookworm having something in common was before today unprecedented." Gwen exhaled heavily at his statement.

"And here I was thinking that Noah was too intellectually superior for petty labels." She drawled, the corners of her mouth curving against her will.

"Ha, ha," Noah replied. He cast a quick look around him before be continued. "My favourite poem of hers is _Death is not a Name._" He started. A passion was in his voice that Gwen was sure that no one else in the competition had ever heard. "I'm not sure if you've heard it, but the basics of it are-"

"_Death is not a name," _Gwen started confidently.

"_Death is not a person nor a being  
>waiting to pounce on us like a feline,<br>nor arm, foot, or any physical form,  
>however, death is not one to be declined-"<em>

"_Death is not a spirit," _Noah joined in, his voice half robotic half awestruck. Gwen smiled at Noah's entry into the recital, and the two of them continued to regurgitate the poem in unison.

"_Death is not the cold wind of a winter's day,  
>departed souls do not linger in the fog above,<br>and no day will come when one will be in it._

"_Rather, Death isn't something to take one away,  
>but to merely bring one back.<br>Though my body will not remain,  
>the imprint of my heart you will never lack."<em>

Noah and Gwen didn't talk for a while. They just continued to stare at each other, both astonished at what they had just done. It wasn't until Noah cleared his throat and reached for his book did Gwen speak.

"Yes, "she murmured as Noah's hands lightly brushed underneath hers to retrieve his book. "I'm familiar." The Bookworm's hands held the book tightly. He spoke again.

"I particularly like the emphasis of Death not being any physical being or presence, but merely a symbol of leaving, but never actually being gone. Death will come one day, and one will have to accept it or live a lifetime of unhappiness." Noah's words spilled out of his mouth rapidly, and Gwen had a feeling that he had wanted to get that out for a very long time.

"Just like this game." Gwen intervened. "We all know that we will all get eliminated eventually and never see each other again, but sulking over the fortune we would lose won't do anyone any good" Noah felt a curious sense of sadness at the concept of never seeing Gwen again after this competition was over. He nodded, absorbing Gwen's intriguing metaphor.

"I agree," Noah said," and when Avira says that Death brings people back rather than takes them away implies a life after death; yet another adventure." Gwen nodded serenely with a smile. Both parties savoured the stimulating conversation, a feat which they had never been achieved with any other competitor. Noah returned to his reading and Gwen laughed to herself.

"Wow," she said, amused," so Noah actually has a personality." Her sarcasm slowly refilled after the hype of the moment faded, and Noah was quick to retort playfully.

"Well, just don't expect me to testify it in court." He shot back, his eyes now replastered to his book. Gwen smiled.

"Perfect." She whispered.

The pair sat in silence for a while, both trying to comprehend just what had exchanged between the two of them. Gwen was sure it was something. Up until then she had never had conversation that engrossing, and it left her with a very pleasant feeling of satisfaction. How she craved the same feeling, with the same person, again…

"You know," Noah started, "if you ever want to discuss Avira's works again-"

"You'll be under the tree next to the cabin?" Gwen interrupted sweetly. Noah looked dumbstruck and slightly disturbed. Gwen sighed. "I sometimes see you there from the window." She explained.

"You watch me?" he asked, feeling somewhat caught between violated and flattered.

"No. It just amazes me that you manage to read for that long without moving." Gwen replied quickly.

"Well, if you ever care to join me I'll be happy to show you some tips." He offered.

The dodge ball games soon ended with the Killer Bass achieving a surprising win thanks to Harold's ability to hold onto objects that pelt him at a rapid speed.

The whole team, desperate to shift the blame in any way possible turned on Noah, who retorted with half hearted slurs that contradicted the whole concept of teamwork. But hey, Noah was never a team player. Just ask his high school's Mathletes.

After the hysteria of losing for the first time died down among the Screaming Gophers, Noah turned to Gwen once more.

"I'll be there after the elimination ceremony." He whispered. Gwen smiled in response as Noah strolled out of the glass box, fingering his book's spine absentmindedly as he walked.

* * *

><p>The sun slowly descended, creating a pleasant orange glow streak across the sky and a warming ambiance welcome the Screaming Gophers, who were facing their first elimination ceremony. The atmosphere among the team was painfully tense, but ironically the two most negative members of the team were seated together and were sharing an in-depth conversation with no effort to silence their voices.<p>

"Well," Noah started. "What a fitting way for someone to meet their metaphorical death." He gestured towards the beautiful sunset with a flick of his wrist. Gwen nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, riding off under this sky would almost be enough to make one forget that they lost out on a chance to be insanely rich." She slurred sarcastically. Noah smiled, and had the impression that either he was starting to rub off on the Goth, or that she had always been this whimsical but he had never noticed.

"Actually," Noah contradicted," the prize money at the end of this show's poorly manufactured rainbow is actually about a tenth of the average amount given at the end of a normal, well paid reality show. So I think the sanity of the riches at stake isn't as large as you portray them to be." He smiled at his argument, and Gwen almost looked at a loss for words.

"Amazing," she continued," you sound like an online encyclopaedia without the dreary robotic timbre." Noah rolled his eyes at her comment, although his mouth couldn't help but curve into a grin.

"That's what they all say," he replied.

Before any of them could extend their conversation further, Chris strutted in with a plate of marshmallows. The smug grin of his lips was enough for anyone to pitch themselves off the dock of shame attached to a heavy weight, not to mention the marshmallows looked about a week past their used by date.

"Hello, Gophers." He started, leaning against a pole. "You started out the game so well! You even had a massive lead during the challenge before Duncan awoke from his slumber! And yet here you are. What happened?"

"What can I say? Weak effort." Noah scolded sarcastically. The whole team turned on him; nine pairs of eyes shooting daggers at him like nothing else mattered. Gwen however looked slightly fearful that it would be him who would be metaphorically dying tonight thanks to his quick tongue.

"Ok, the following are safe for another week" Chris said officially, picking up a marshmallow.

"Owen," he stood from his stool and claimed his marshmallow with a greediness in his eyes. Everyone else followed suit until there were two campers left. "Gwen, Cody, Heather, Beth, Leshawna, Trent, Justin, and Izzy"

Gwen held her marshmallow like a stress ball. She stared straight at Noah, hoping that it wasn't him who would be getting a metaphorical grave. Noah started to look a bit nervous as well, his hands held his knees slightly tighter.

"Noah and Lindsay," Chris said, "one of you will be staying, and the other will be forced to walk the dock of shame. And never return," Chris paused in a feeble attempt to dramatise the situation, "ever," he added, dragging out the final syllable. Noah was just about to say that he already knew that, but with a second thought he decided to hold his tongue.

"And the lucky loser is…"

The pause was unbearable. Gwen's mind was racing. Why had it taken this long for her to realise that Noah was so interesting? Why did it take a dodge ball knocking him off his feet for her to break through his harsh exterior and find someone she can actually talk to freely? And the question that itched at her the most: if he was going to go, why have they been given so little time?

It seemed like a small eternity until Chris grasped the final marshmallow and opened his mouth.

"Noah."

"What?" Noah exclaimed, leaping to his feet in outrage.

Gwen was dumfounded. That was it. She had one amazing afternoon talking to the bookworm without a care in the world. How she had looked forward to meeting him under the tree after all of this. How she had anticipated the hours of stimulating banter that would've awaited her had Lindsay gone home. The most unpleasant feeling of un-satisfaction tore through Gwen. It was too short. If time were a person, she would be hoarsely beating it with a baseball bat for giving so little of itself for her and Noah. Several bitter emotions filled her up like a negative balloon as Noah started to walk towards the dingy boat that awaited him.

"Whatever, I'm out of here," he muttered.

Before he left, Gwen and Noah shared one final glance; just like the one on the dodge ball benches, as he stepped onto the water craft and sputtered away, taking Avira Flores' book and the entire day's jubilation with him.

* * *

><p>When everyone was dismissed, Gwen stalked back to her cabin without a second glance to her so called team mates. She was back to her old routine. This game is terrible, her team is terrible, and the world is terrible.<p>

Frustration, anger, longing, and many more unnamed emotions were coming at Gwen left right and centre, all threatening to engulf her should she let her guard down. She had to release it somehow to prevent something terrible to happen. Gwen resorted to grabbing her pillow and squeezing it as hard as her arms could manage. She didn't even know exactly why she felt so distraught about Noah's departure. All she knew is that it filled her with more negativity than anything in the world.

As she lifted the pillow off her bed, she saw a small snippet of paper float down to the ground. Curiosity seemed to drown out all her emotions like a violent flood, and actually made her feel much calmer. She reached down to pick up the small piece of paper, which looked like it was ripped.

She swore she had felt the texture before. If felt sweetly familiar against her fingers, and it wasn't until she turned it over and read the text before her did all her negativity suddenly cease tormenting her.

_Though my body will not remain,  
>the imprint of my heart you will never lack.<em>

* * *

><p><strong>And there you are :)<br>Are you a shipper? Did you love it? Did you hate every aspect of it and you're now trying to restrict the projectile vomit bellowing from your throat?**

**Well either way please let me know in a review, CRITISM IS VERY MUCH WELCOMED!**

**I wanna improve on my Gwoah skills, just cause they're like, awesome.  
>Oh yes, and Avira Flores is the name of one of my OC's and <em>Death is not a Name<em> is a poem of my own creation- I stole nothing :)**

**BFG**


End file.
